Walsh Ballarat Quarries has lodged planning documents with the City of Ballarat, in regional Victoria, for the expansion of the Learmonth Quarry.
The City of Ballarat has received a planning permit application for the Learmonth Quarry expansion.
Learmonth is a basalt site located in the town of Blowhard, Victoria.
The quarry has a total resource estimate of 9.5 million tonnes. Its current open area is 32ha, with the proposal to provide an additional 44.2ha.
This will provide continued extraction of basalt toward the east of the approved area.
According to a Terrock Consulting Engineers blasting impact assessment for the extension , blasting has been conducted at the quarry for more than 30 years.
“…the rock structure beneath the extension area is not anticipated to present new challenges for shotfirers and blast designers familiar with the regional geology,” the application stated.
The closest house to the extraction area is 410m south of the proposed extraction area.
The rehabilitation plan for the site aims to return it to a “safe, stable and sustainable manner” that blends in with its surroundings.
The proposal to extend the extraction area of the quarry will have an estimated cost of $850,000.